rowingman

Thank you beachfan. It certainly feels totally random to me, hit or miss at check in. And your analogy to AA is particularly informative to me. Thank you again. Travel well.

GoPhils

I think it might give you a slightly better chance, but it doesn't seem to ensure anything. 2 nights ago I actually noticed it looked like I had gotten upgraded to a suite at a CY, so did online check-in to see if that "held" the upgrade. When I checked in (probably no more than 3 hours later), I did not have the suite.

Vince Chan

Wozza2404

Given that Platinum is a third tier status in Bonvoy, I don't expect hotels to find a suite for me every time I stay. I understand there will be plenty of people with higher status than me at a property on any given night.

I find properties I stay at regularly tend to be much more accommodating with upgrades. I'll hit Titanium this year so perhaps I may expect a little more at that point, but honestly I know that technically I'm entitled to a suite upgrade as a Platinum; but I certainly wouldn't go stamping my feet at the check in desk to get one if they didn't put me into one.

Nazdoom

In China, everybody has Platinum status. Everybody. There are too many shortcuts to obtain it. During 4 different JWs/Renaissances in Mainland China told me they average >25% of guests with Platinum status (we're talking 80+ Plat guests per night). This is before counting Titanium or Ambassador guests. How many Bonvoy hotels have that many suites, let alone can afford the lost revenue to upgrade as many as they physically can? It also leads to many practical issues using the lounge.

I'm the last person to defend hotels that skimp on upgrades, but I think it's understandable that China is a hard market to get a suite as a Platinum. A lot of locals travel as families and book suites because they need all the space, further reducing potential upgrades.

A manager at a Chinese JW told me they train their staff as follows: try to give titanium and ambassador entry level suite, if not available, try the better suite, if not available, then deluxe room; for platinums, try to give them deluxe room, but if they push for suite, try to claim full house, then if they push to manager then try to find entry level suite only.

If you are Plat, the takeaway IMO is to use your SNAs if you need a suite in China. Even Ambassador is not guaranteed (without pre-arranged upgrade) because the hotel may run out of suites if Plats escalate for all the suites before the time you check-in.

sfozrhfco

This system continues to be severely broken. Confirmations of an upgrade do no include any indication of room type. You can choose one suite type and the system completely ignores that and the hotel just assigns whatever room/suite type they like. Sometimes you get lucky and the suite type you chose just happens to be available but more often than not, I have had to have my Ambassador intervene to fulfill the promised upgrade. I've even had the room type appear, disappear, reappear after the Ambassador intervenes, and disappear again right before check in requiring another intervention. It is particularly annoying if you are relying on the suite confirmation only to have to scramble to fight with the hotel to honor what was supposed to be confirmed. Last year I thought it was just a glitch buy given that it has been happening every time now, it seems to be a complete mess.

RobOnLI

Maybe this has been covered elsewhere but I'll ask here. If you see through the app or website that an upgrade has been confirmed but then you check-in and you're given a 'standard' room, does that count as not honoring the guaranteed room type for elites?

I stayed at a hotel last week that the day before showed me in a 1-bedroom, 2 bath suite. I was stoked. I get to the hotel and check-in and I'm given a standard room. When I went to inquire at the front desk about the mix up (I had a screen shot of the upgraded room), she said she had no idea what happened and she gave me the room I was assigned. Of course she claimed the hotel had no more 1-bedroom, 2 bath suites so I was given an entry level suite (junior suite, no separate bedroom).

I didn't push hard for any type of comp because I'm not sure if a free upgrade not being honored during check-in would count as not honoring room type on the reservation.

Thanks,
RM

Nazdoom

No, no guarantee you will get the complimentary upgrade even if it appears in app. It is tentative until the keys are in your hand (or mobile key is ready). What shows in app is just (sometimes) a reflection of what the hotel has assigned you in their internal system, it's not notification of an upgrade (although some of us use it as such).

Many properties assign rooms the night before and hand out upgrades to plan and lessen work during the day shift. The room they earmarked for you was reassigned to someone else. Why? Who knows - maybe it was needed for someone with higher status (or more clout at that property), maybe that upgrade was needed for service recovery, maybe the owner's friends were in town, maybe Bill Marriott is showing up, maybe the hotel last minute sold the room, maybe the previous occupant extended their stay, maybe the room was out of commission because somebody died there...

You're not due anything from that, but if you express your surprise and disappointment the property can likely move you to a nicer suite mid-stay when something opens up (if you're OK with changing rooms mid-stay) or give a verbal promise of a good upgrade on your next stay if you email them in advance.

escape4

In my opinion if you had booked the standard room then I do not see a problem here. You got what you paid for, in fact better (= jr suite). The fact that they can pre-assign a bigger suite and then remove it is not an issue. If 2 days before arrival they give you a large suite and 1 day before arrival they sell a lot of those suites, they are entirely within their right to take the suite away from you because it's no longer available.

escape4

Hence rewarding this kind of behavior

DJ_Iceman

Exactly. There's even a frequent poster on this board who brags about their high-maintenance nature, including pushing as hard as necessary to get upgrades they are nowhere near entitled to. I wish the hotel managers would grow a backbone and show customers like this that they are not nearly so valuable as they think they are.

kaizen7

That would need some changes in T&C
As long as the P/T/A all falls under same upgrade terms, the P are as entitled as an A in terms of these upgrades.

Another option would be preupgrade those T and A to the suites and remove the suites from inventory.
But then this might affect hotels own revenue management.

kaizen7

Platinum would be the quite far at the end of the queue
Returning ambassadors, ambassadors, returning titaniums, titaniums, and so on

And for regulars, generous properties will be more generous to the returning elites, but stingy properties will always be stingy

Kacee

The properties have considerable discretion how they dole out upgrades among guests, particularly through pre-assignment and to suites which are not part of the official upgrade pool.

The current "equality" of elite tiers is most likely to come into play at large convention type properties where room assignment occurs only when you show up at the front desk. These are also the places that are likely to default to giving you a concierge level room and calling it an "upgrade."
So true.

tarheelnj

Just thinking of strategies that could "lock in" a desirable suite upgrade that shows up in your app.

If you're checking in on the app, it shows a good suite upgrade, and it indicates the availability of a mobile key - and you select it - does that mean you have confirmed the suite? And if that's the case but you really want a normal key, couldn't just request one on arrival? Also how long from app check-in does it usually take until the mobile key is ready?